Fukushima to decontaminate entire city

[Forkboy]

The Fukushima municipal government likely will decontaminate the city's entire area in response to the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, according to city government sources.

Fukushima is the second municipality in Fukushima Prefecture that plans to decontaminate the entire area under its jurisdiction. The first is Date.

Fear of radioactive contamination is widespread among the city's residents as radiation levels in some areas of the city have been confirmed as higher than those within the 20-kilometer-radius no-entry zone surrounding the nuclear power plant.

Fukushima is about 50 kilometers from the Fukushima plant.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110713004736.htm

[graywarrior]

1. How in hell do you decontaminate radiation?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Swiffer commercials indicate they can pick up just about anything. n'/t

[graywarrior]

8. LOL

:spank:

[gateley]

3. My question as well. This is horrific, and so many were certain

it wouldn't become the nightmare that it has. :cry:

[Art_from_Ark]

11. I don't know of too many people who thought it wouldn't become a nightmare

in Fukushima. I have maintained all along that the people of Fukushima would pay the highest price for all this mess. Saying that, it hasn't become the type of nightmare in the rest of the country that some people were saying it would become (evacuating Tokyo, not being able to grow food in 1/3 of the country , etc.). However, things could change here in Ibaraki in the winter when the wind starts blowing from the north (that is, from Fukushima).

[Generic Other]

26. And will the Ibaraki farmers be able to sell their rice?

A lot of fears still.

On a positive note, a cousin will have a baby in November. Life goes on.

[Art_from_Ark]

29. I just had the soil in my yard checked

by some geoscientist colleagues of mine.

They said the radiation level is low enough that it won't have any effect on vegetables grown in it. So I'm guessing that unless there is some drastic change between now and early-to-mid-September, when the rice is harvested, then Ibaraki rice should be OK*. However, I will say that the greengrocers I have talked to say that the farmers are a bit nervous right now.

*Parts of the Ibaraki cities of Moriya and Toride have hot spots, and I don't know what farmers in those areas are doing to cope with the situation.

[Bonobo]

17. Some of us responded to stupid posts like "Half a million will die! Mark my words!" nt

[backscatter712]

5. It's mostly dust and dissolved stuff.

You'll probably be able to wash a lot of the stuff away, if you're careful not to allow things to go airborne during the cleaning process. But then you've got to answer the question "Where is 'away'"? You've got water you used to decontaminate the city, which is now itself contaminated with radioisotopes - you can't just flush it down the storm sewers...

[Art_from_Ark]

7. Of course, a lot of that stuff has already been flushed down storm sewers

The rainy season is just about to come to an end in that part of Japan, so a lot of the ambient radiation has already found its way into the local sewer system. Next comes the typhoon season. Fukushima City is in a part of Japan that usually doesn't get really big typhoons, but if one crosses over from the Sea of Japan side, then there can be quite a drenching.

[graywarrior]

9. What about cracks and crevices and spaces between walls, etc?

This is hell for those people. Just horrible.

[AndyTiedye]

6. You Raise the Exposure Limits So the Area is No Longer Considered Contaminated.

:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :hide:

[graywarrior]

10. Sick bastid

:evilgrin:

[BeFree]

18. Invent radiation magnets

Humans are magnets, but that ain't fair.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. It can be done, you need to wash every dang surface

to remove the particles.

IT IS very expensive and time consuming.

Oh and dirt, that will be really tricky,.

[Liberal_in_LA]

30. my question also. n/t

[AnOhioan]

4. What a joke....good luck with that

[Overseas]

12. Thanks for the update.

Still getting worse.

[AsahinaKimi]

13. I think I had

Already posted this story..
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1482850

Yep, only two responses. What's your secret FORKBOY?

[Forkboy]

14. The power of Godzilla as my avatar scares people into answering me!

;)

Sorry I missed your post or I would have just kicked it back up.

[AsahinaKimi]

16. awwwwww...

I always loved your cute "Gojira". By the way... I watched the original 1954 one the other night. (You know, the one without Raymond Burr)

right here:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/256823/gojira

[Forkboy]

19. The original is highly underrated.

Understandable, as Godzilla became more of a comic book character later on, and those are the movies most people grew up on. But it's a shame, because the original has numerous scenes that are really fascinating knowing the underlying context of the film, and the period it was made in. I find the scene near the end where Ogata and Emiko are trying to convince Serizawa to use the Oxygen Destroyer to be especially interesting. His fears about it's future use echo the fears many had about the bomb, but what I find interesting is that in the end he agrees to use it. I've spoken to a few Japanese people and was told that some Japanese people felt guilt over the war. I've always wondered if this scene, and Serizawa's decision to go ahead and use the weapon, doesn't reflect on that guilt somewhat, as if they're saying they understand why the Americans dropped the bomb and made the decision they did.

It's also possible that I've just watched the movie too many damn times. :)

[AsahinaKimi]

23. Thats a good point.

You know Toho Studios made a lot of Samurai movies too. There was even one, I saw a long time ago, the title which escapes me, where three Samurai bring a monster back to life, to send upon their enemies. The film had to been made around the same time period. It was that rich grey grainy kinda film, where, like Godzilla, was often hard to see the monster at first.

[Art_from_Ark]

22. Maybe if you would respond to the people who comment on your threads

you might be able to keep your threads up and get more responses. There are three responses in that link you provided, but no comments from you. And I've posted on two threads you've started today, and you haven't commented on either one of my comments.

[AsahinaKimi]

24. ah sou, Ark san,..

Sometimes what people say, may not need my response, however, I usually try to respond to comments. I don't want the article to be about what I had to say, but what the story has to say. For example, the Photo of the Day posting, words seem to be inadequate, or even take away from the experience of the photos themselves.


However, I will try to make an effort to comment more.. thank you. ~bows~ わたち は Ark さん の きょうりょく に かんしゃ します.

[Art_from_Ark]

28. Personally, I think people should pop in

once in a while on threads that they start. I think it helps to raise interest if there is at least some interaction between the original poster and others who post comments :)

[Octafish]

15. 30 miles away from the worst nuclear disaster since World War 2 isn't far enough.

Major explosion at Fukushima Nuclear Power Station Reactor Number 3, March 14, 2011.
The smoke and debris cloud likely contains plutonium from the spent fuel pool, stored in the containment building.

[Poll_Blind]

20. This should really read "Fukushima to inevitably fail at decontaminating entire city."

Thanks for posting the article, Forkboy. I hadn't seen this yet.

PB

[Cereal Kyller]

21. A little late, isn't it?

I'd love to hear how humans can unabsorb radioactivity.

[Generic Other]

27. Guess this is the best outcome possible

Hope it works.